Roman Josi has been on fire as of late.
He had two assists in Nashville’s win over the Flyers on Sunday night, giving him 21 points over the course of a 10-game point streak.
Is Josi now the favorite for the Norris Trophy? Might he even be in the mix for the Hart Trophy? Tyler Yaremchuk and Mike McKenna discussed where Josi’s award case stands on Monday’s edition of "The Daily Faceoff Show."
Yaremchuk: “What a month Roman Josi has been having.
Since March 1, he’s first in the NHL with 28 points. Among the players who have played at least 10 games only he and Patrick Kane are averaging two points per game in the month of March. Josi is now up to 81 points on the season in 64 games played. He’s on pace for 101 points.
The reason why he’s on such a high pace has been this absolutely historic month of March. For points by a defenseman in a single month, Josi is only three points back of the all-time record set in 1970-71 by Bobby Orr. When your name is up there with Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr, it speaks volumes to the type of run that you’re on.
He’s two points away from passing Brent Burns for the most points by a defenseman in a season in the salary cap era. And if he can get nine more points, he would be the first defenseman since Ray Bourque in 1993-94 to put up 90 points in a single season. The 100-point mark isn’t out of the question here.
We thought it was Cale Makar’s Norris Trophy to lose. Is this run by Josi changing your mind on the Norris Trophy race?
McKenna: “Yeah, just give it to Josi.
I didn’t think anybody could touch Makar this season. He was my runaway. I had said at times that I thought Makar could be the best player in the league. That’s flipping a lot of statements on their heads right now given what Josi has done.
It’s not a fluke when your name is included with Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey when you put those numbers up. This isn’t a one-off. Josi is a previous Norris Trophy winner. Watch this guy skate; watch him possess the puck and his vision.
Earlier this season, it was the power-play time that was driving his points, I thought. But the 5-on-5 play of Josi in the last several months, since the All-Star break, he has 27 points in 21 games, just at even-strength.
I think the reason why you’ve got to look towards Josi for not just the Norris Trophy, but also the Hart Trophy at this point is because Adam Fox in New York, Cale Makar in Colorado, Victor Hedman in Tampa, all of those teams are in the playoffs even without those three. I don’t think Nashville is there without Roman Josi.
Josi has carried this Predators team this year. It’s historic what we’re watching.”
You can watch the full episode here…
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